Yud Tes Kislev
19 Kislev: Rosh Hashana of Chassidut
Yud-Tes Kislev, also known as the “Chag HaGeulah—The Holiday of Redemption,” or the “Rosh Hashana of Chassidut,” begins tonight and continues until sundown tomorrow. On this day in 1798, the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, was finally freed after spending 53 days in prison. Rabbi Shneur Zalman was the founder of Chabad Chassidut and the first Chabad Rebbe, and his freedom marked the beginning of a new era: that of the open dissemination of Chabad Chassidut. In 1796, the Alter Rebbe published the Tanya, of which Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev said, “Reb Shneur Zalman put such a great G-d in such a tiny book!”
It was also on the 19th of Kislev (1772) that Rabbi Dovber, the Maggid of Mezritch passed away, at which time he told the Alter Rebbe, who was his disciple, “This day is our yom tov (holiday).”